tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872Tue, 07 Oct 2014 00:37:24 +0000Random Firings of NeuronsThe rest of your life is going to be spent getting back up after life has knocked you down again. You might as well just get used to it.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (AJ)Blogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-6774903215373321193Sun, 27 May 2007 20:27:00 +00002007-05-27T14:36:19.244-07:00Some reviews to make up for not posting....Okay, since it's been a while since I've actually...you know...posted anything, I'm going to do some reviews, to (hopefully) get myself back in the swing of things. Not promising anything, but...I'm going to give a good college try.<br /><br />Review 1: Music<br /><br />I'm not exactly the 'normal' music fan. I have very eclectic tastes, and may like a 'lesser' song or musician from a particular genre, while not liking the 'better' songs or musicians. In addition, I happen to like some musicians and music that most people don't exactly brag about liking, like Barry Manilow or Celine Dion. Because of that, many times, my favorite albums are the albums most despised by 'true' music fans: "Best Of..." albums. They have the songs I like, and don't have quite as many songs I don't.<br /><br />All that being said, I think I've found two of the "Best Of..." albums that are near required for just about anyone over the age of 30. They are "60s Gold" and "Ultimate 70s", both published by Time-Life. They're anthologies of songs that pretty much defined those two decades, but, NOT the most popular songs of those decades. Trust me, if you grew up in the 70s and 80s, these two albums have almost every song that lurks deep in your conscious from that time period. They're about $35 apiece, but...they're worth it. Each set (each one is three CDs) is a trip down memory lane.<br /><br />Out of 114 songs between the two sets, I have 99 of them on my music playlist. 99 out of 114. 86% of the songs are on my playlist. I have albums from some of my favorite bands that don't have that high of a percentage of songs that are at least "won't change the station if the song is on".<br /><br />Here's a partial list of the 'must have' (to me) songs from each set:<br /><br />60s Gold:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Classical Gas</span>-Mason Williams (if you've been to a movie theater in the past 20 years, you've probably heard the entire song...just not all at one time)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Windy</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Along Comes Mary</span>-The Association (those two songs are almost enough to get me to hunt for a "Best Of The Association" album...)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Rain, The Park, and Other Things</span>-The Cowsills (if you're my age, you know the song, even if you don't know it by the title)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">American Pie</span>-Don McLean (best rock song ever written...easy to get on other anthologies, though)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay</span>-Otis Redding (obscure minor trivia about me...I've been to his birth place and death place: Savannah, GA, and Lake Monona in Madison, WI, respectively.)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Monday, Monday</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">California Dreamin'</span>-The Mamas and the Papas (top ten greatest harmonies EVER...hard to say who's better, the Mamas and the Papas, or The Association)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bus Stop</span>-The Hollies (...how does a band sound change its sound THAT many times, and sound so good each time?! They'll appear again...)<br /><br />Ultimate 70s.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Nights in White Satin</span>-Moody Blues (not actually enough to get me to buy the album...Days of Future Past and Best of the Moody Blues are both common, and have this song, plus a bunch of others that are just as good. Best of Moody Blues is practically Days of Future Past, though...almost all of their hits came of that album)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stuck in the Middle With You</span>-Stealers Wheel (...can't hear this song without thinking of Mr Pink and that stupid little dance...and what follows)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Werewolves of London</span>-Warren Zevon (thankfully, I don't remember Tom Cruise's stupid dance to this song)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Smoke on the Water</span>-Deep Purple<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Still the One</span>-Orleans<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dust in the Wind</span>-Kansas (most bands, if this was their only hit, could call it a career...Kansas kept going)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)</span>-The Hollies (told you they'd show up again)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother</span>-The Hollies (...HOW!?)<br /><br />Those are just the songs I'd consider paying money for. There are quite a few others that I wouldn't pay money for, but, am certainly not upset I got them thrown in.<br /><br />Basically, Time-Life did a great job finding not the most popular songs of those two decades, but, most of the most memorable songs. If you even remotely enjoyed the music of your childhood and are in your 30s, 40s, or 50s, you should consider buying these two sets. They're worth it.<br /><br />Review 2: Coffee makers.<br /><br />For Christmas, my sister bought me a Senseo coffee maker. I wanted to try one, but, didn't want to shell out the money ($60) for something I wasn't sure I'd like. The reviews I'd read of the Senseo were too subjective to be useful to me. Almost every review I read mentioned how strong the coffee was, and that you had to make several cups with the same pods to get a drinkable cup. But, what if I LIKE strong coffee?!<br /><br />After using the Senseo for six months, I can say definitely "It's worth the money". It's not a perfect cup of coffee, but, it's FAR better than you'd find in ANY restaurant or coffee shop. The quibbles I have with it are easily balanced out by the things I like about it.<br /><br />Quibbles:<br /><br />Senseo's definition of "a cup of coffee" and my definition are approximately 150% off. Senseo considers a "cup of coffee" to be 4 oz. I consider a cup of coffee to be, minimum, 10 oz, preferably 16 oz. So, I have rarely used the "one cup" button. Because of this, I go through the pods at an obscene rate. (One pod makes one cup, two pods make two cups) There are either 16 or 18 pods per bag (flavored coffees have 16 pods per bag, regular coffee has 18 per bag), and I use two pods per cup of coffee...that means I go through several bags every weekend day, and a bag every two or three days during the week. The bags of pods are about $4 a piece, for 4 oz of grounds, making the pods about $16 a pound. That's a little steep for coffee. Not unreasonable, but...a little steep.<br /><br />The water reservoir is...tiny. It only holds enough water for two cups of coffee (my cups...it holds 4 cups of Senseo's cups). You can buy a larger reservoir...for $20 more. Hm. I'm not sure if it's worth paying another $20 to have not fill the reservoir every two cups of coffee...but, it sure is a pain having to fill it every two cups.<br /><br />One pod per Senseo cup makes coffee on the low end of "Highly drinkable". Two pods per Senseo cup makes coffee right at the middle of "Highly drinkable". Two pods per Senseo cup means I'm using 4 pods per my cup of coffee...that's 4 of my cups of coffee per bag of pods, at $3 a bag...that's a bit steep for even really good coffee.<br /><br />Likes:<br /><br />Highly drinkable coffee less than three minutes after I have the hankerin' for a cup of coffee. It takes about 2 minutes for the water to warm up, and about 1 minute for the coffee to brew after that. After the water is warmed up, you have a cup of coffee every minute or so, for as long as you keep the pods changed and reservoir filled. Mmmm....coffee.<br /><br />For $10 and some hunting, you can buy your own reusable pod, so you can use your own ground coffee in the Senseo. It's not easy to do, and it takes A LOT of experimenting to find the right measurements and grind to get it down to where you like it, but, once you do, it can be worth it. Kenyan coffee on demand....mmmm....coffee.<br /><br />I make a better cup of coffee with a grinder, beans and a drip coffee maker. It also takes me 20 minutes to get coffee when I do that. Hm....20 minutes for great coffee versus 3 minutes for *only* darn good coffee. I'll take "Darn Good Coffee in 3 Minutes" for $100, please, Alex.<br /><br />If you like good, strong coffee, and don't really like waiting for it, the Senseo is the gizmo for you. The Black and Decker Home Cafe is pretty much the same beast, with a slightly different set up. If you're careful, you can even use the pods interchangeably (the Folger's pods for the Home Cafe are just a hair thicker than the Douwe Egbert pods for the Senseo...you can feel the pressure on the hinge when you close the top.).<br /><br />All told, the prices associated with either the Home Cafe or Senseo are worth it, for the convenience. It's not the greatest cup of coffee you'll ever drink, but, it's darn good, and it's darn quick. Would I spend close to $100 to buy one (after all the add-ons), just to have coffee quickly? Yup.<br /><br />Ok, that's it, for now. Maybe in the next couple of days, I'll get some more stuff up.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2007/05/some-reviews-to-make-up-for-not-posting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-7914315116037029016Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:30:00 +00002007-02-12T18:30:04.126-08:00In the interests of continuing friendships......I won't Fisk <a href="http://www.badexample.mu.nu/">Harvey's</a> <a href="http://badexample.mu.nu/archives/215358.php">post about atheism</a>. It would just take too long, and I'd have to stomp on some egos to do it.<br /><br />In the comments of the post, I made a reference to being able to use logic, reason, and observable science to prove the existence of *A* creator. That is absolutely true. About 4,000 years ago (give or take a couple of hundred years), a bunch of barely literate shepherds had a run-in with a being who claimed to be self-existent, meaning, he needed nothing else in order to exist. He existed merely by existing. Fast forward about 1,500 years, and an amateur philosopher deduced, using pure logic ALONE, that a self-existent being must logically exist in order for the Universe to be here. Fast forward to today, and, for some reason I cannot fathom, theists and atheists alike operate under the idiotic and irrational notion that the existence of *A* creator can't be proven. For centuries, humans have logically deduced the existence of things that they had no hope of ever being able to prove, such as the planet Pluto (I don't give a flying leap what some idiotic astronomers have decided about Pluto. It's a 'planet' on this blog.), which later generations proved, BY USING THE LOGICAL DEDUCTIONS OF THE PREVIOUS GENERATIONS! The planet Pluto was only found because the astronomer looked in the area of the sky that someone several hundred years ago deduced it would be. No such discovery method is necessary for the existence of *A* creator, since, at one's death, one will get to find out, one way or another.<br /><br />Now, here, and at <a href="http://www.badexample.mu.nu/">Harvey's</a>, and at other sites, I have mentioned that I happen to know the logical and rational proofs for the existence of *A* creator, but, have never actually posted them. Well, actually, I did, in the comments of a thread at <a href="http://www.naebunny.net/%7Emommylemur/">Original Musings</a>. But, I haven't done it any other time, quite simple because it would be a waste of my time. You see, ALL objections to the existence of *A* creator are morally, not logically or rationally, based, so, providing a logical proof to a moral dilemma would be counter-productive. The atheist isn't looking for Reason. They're looking for justification, or absolution. Telling them that, yes, there really IS someone/something that just *might* take offense to their immoral behavior exacerbates the problem. It doesn't solve it. So, until I'm actually asked for it, I don't provide the proof, because it wouldn't do either of us any good.<br /><br />Want it? Ask for it. But, once you get it, you ARE responsible for what you do with it. Doing what you have been doing is no longer an option. If there really is *A* creator (and there is), then, you owe EVERYTHING you have to he/she/it. Once *A* creator exists, He gets to make the rules, not you.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2007/02/in-interests-of-continuing-friendships.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-116683731783937274Sat, 23 Dec 2006 01:28:00 +00002006-12-22T18:34:37.896-08:00Stupid memesSo, evidently, Harvey, of <a href="http://badexample.mu.nu/archives/209364.php">Bad Example</a>, is less than thrilled with my recent blog output, so he tagged me with a <i>meme</i>. Yay for me. I'll take the stupid hint, and complete the <i>meme</i>, and I won't even complain about it. Too much.<br /><br />1. <b>Wrapping paper, or gift bags</b>? When I can't bribe, cajole, threaten, or just plain annoy someone into doing my wrapping for me, gift bags. I'm not a big fan of spending all than time and effort making something look pretty, knowing that it's just so someone can shred it before my eyes.<br /><br />2. <b>Real tree, or artificial</b>? Neither? I hate Christmas trees of any sort. But, if I absolutely *had* to get one, it would be a real tree. It would also be a Charlie Brown real tree. Easier to decorate.<br /><br />3. <b>When do you put up the tree</b>? I don't. Seriously. I haven't laid a hand upon a Christmas tree in almost two decades.<br /><br />4. <b>When do you take the tree down</b>? Pre-emptively. See #3.<br /><br />5. <b>Do you like eggnog</b>? Eh. Some years I like it, and some years, I don't. I don't think I've ever actually had it with booze in it, though...and now that I rarely drink alcohol, it is unlikely I ever will.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Favorite gift you received as a child</span>? Hm. I don't actually remember actually...*liking*...any of my gifts, but, since I had a lot of Legos as a child, I'd have to assume I got some of them for Christmas, which would mean that I liked the Legos gifts the best, since I still entertain fantasies of buying entire Lego product lines.<br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Do you have a nativity scene<span sty le="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>? No.<br /><br />8. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Hardest person to buy for</span>? My sister. It is unlikely I'll ever be able to actual figure out what she wants, since we don't really have that much in common any more, so, I have no frame of reference to even try to WAG a gift for her.<br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Easiest person to buy for<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>? My mother. I can usually guess what she's going to like. I just don't know if she alreay has it.<br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mail or e-mail Christmas cards</span>? What are these "Christmas cards" you speak of?<br /><br />11. <span style="font-weight:bold;">The worst Christmas present you ever received</span>? Orders to Saudi Arabia. Seriously. We received our orders to deploy to Saudi Arabia on December 24th, 1990. If you're keeping score at home, Kuwait was invaded in August of 1990.<br /><br />12. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Favorite Chrstmas movie</span>? We're No Angels. The original, with Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Basil Rathbone, some other old school actors, and Adolf. Adolf is the star of the movie. Watch it this Christmas. You won't be disappointed. Oh...I should mention...it's a comedy. With Humphrey Bogart. And Peter Ustinov. And Basil Rathbone. I have nearly lost consciousness from laughing...and that was the THIRD time I had seen it. I've seen it at least five more times since, and I still lose the ability to speak or breathe frequently.<br /><br />13. <span style="font-weight:bold;">When do you start shopping</span>? Hm...Christmas is the 25th, right? So...that means I usually start shopping no earlier than the 20th. The 24th, if I can get away with it.<br /><br />14. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Have you ever recycled a Christmas present</span>? No. Almost every Christmas present I have ever received had too much practical use, so, I was too busy using the presents to give them to someone else. I *should* explain that this is the reason why I don't really remember actually liking any of my Christmas presents. It's not that I disliked them. It's just that they had a practical use, rather than an entertainment use, so, "favorite" didn't really apply. It's kind of like asking which is your favorite screwdriver, a #2 Phillips head, or a #2 slot head. What are you using it for?<br /><br />15. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Favorite thing to eat at Christams<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>? Um...I'm the idiot responsible for the unbelievable amount of fruitcake produced in the US, since I'm pretty sure all those fruitcakes eventually make it to me...and get eaten. So, blame me the next time someone gives you a fruitcake. Don't worry. I'll eat that one, too. mmmm.....fruitcake.<br /><br />16. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Clear lights, or colored lights</span>? Invisible. Or, in a pinch, non-existent.<br /><br />17. <b>Favorite Christmas song</b>? "Do You Hear What I Hear?". Or "The Little Drummer Boy". Backup song? Anything by Nat King Cole. I'd pay to hear him sing the phone book.<br /><br />18. <b>Travel at Christmas, or, stay home</b>? If it's up to me, stay home. With the phone off, and the door locked. When it's not up to me, I travel. It's usually not up to me.<br /><br />19. <b>Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?</b> The snarky part of me wants to say "Yes. Neither of them had names." (Santa originally just had one, or two reindeer. The others were added later by a not-entirely annoying song.) The tired-of-being-a-Scrooge part of me says "Yes. Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen." And, yes, I spelled Donder's name right. It's German for "thunder"...which would go just fine with his sleighmate Blitzen...who is "lightning". AND, originally, Rudolph's name was Randolph. Aren't you just thrilled you asked that question?<br /><br />20. <b>Angel on the top, or a star?</b> Charlie Brown trees are barely sufficient to support hold a ball, much less a star or an angel. That's if I had a tree, though. I don't.<br /><br />21. <b>Open the presents on Christmas Eve, or morning?</b> Whatever is the most practical for scheduling. I've opened presents as early as the 18th (this year), and as late as January 19th (this year, as well. Do the math, you'll figure it out.)<br /><br />22. <b>Most annoying thing about this time of year?</b> Hm...that's a long list to choose from. I guess I'd have to say the commercialization of a pagan holiday, celebrated with pagan rituals, on a date that has NOTHING to do with the birth of my Lord and Savior. After that...everything else is somewhat petty. (For the record, the best semi-educated guess to the real birthday of Jesus bar Joseph is September 22nd. That's the most likely, but, not the most certain, date. Sometime between the beginning of August and the end of October is the only time period possible. Shepherds aren't out in the fields with their sheep in the middle of winter, nor were taxes collected at that time. December 25th has nothing to do with Jesus's birthday.)<br /><br />23. <b>Do you have JeSus in your heart this Christmas?</b> I try. That's all I can say. (that capitalisation in the middle of His name isn't accidental. I really can't profane the Name above all Names.)<br /><br />24. <b>What would like for Christmas?</b> Probably not getting it, so, not going to bother mentioning it. Wanting what I do not have hasn't done me much good in the past.<br /><br />I'm not going to purposely pass this on, so, if y'all want to answer it, go ahead. I'm just not going to 'force' anyone to. Yeah, I'm a killjoy. Call it "getting in the Christmas spirit", if you want.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/12/stupid-memes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-115465687781950992Fri, 04 Aug 2006 01:47:00 +00002006-08-03T19:45:53.500-07:00The AnswersOkay, here are the answers to my little quizzes.<br /><br /><blockquote>If you can only do ONE of these, which is more important? Caring, or doing?</blockquote><br /><br />The obvious answer is "doing", of course. And, this time, the obvious answer is the correct answer. <br /><br />One cannot "do" without "caring", and one can "care" without "doing", so, "doing" is the most important one, because it is the only one that can't exist without the other.<br /><br />But...<br /><br />Just about everyone will respond "doing" to that question, and then, spend ZERO thought on what that means.<br /><br />What it means, ladies and gentlemen (and you, too, <a href="http://www.badexample.mu.nu/">Harvey</a>), is that what you DO determines what you care about. <br /><br />Take a week, and chart the time you spend on each and every activity you do. Add the times up at the end of the week, and you will now have a good idea of what you care about, because you'll have a record of what you did.<br /><br />For the vast majority of Americans, work is their number one care, since they spend the most amount of time there. Watching television is their number two care. Talking with friends and family is usually right near the bottom of the list. <br /><br />That makes me sick. It should make you sick, too.<br /><br />Now, you've already answered that doing is more important than caring. So, what are YOU going to do about that?<br /><br /><blockquote>I buy a pair of shoes for $30. I mark the shoes up to $60, and you buy them. Who profits from this deal?</blockquote><br /><br />This has already been discussed in the comments to the quiz. If you didn't read the comments, the answer is "we both profit". <br /><br />I make $30, and you have a new pair of shoes. We both have something more than we started with, so, we both profit.<br /><br />There is no mention of coercion, nor of deception. If either one of those was present, then, only I would profit, since I would have stolen from you. Even if I left you with the pair of shoes, I still stole $60 from you. So, only I would profit.<br /><br />But, the interesting thing about that question is the varying responses you can get from people. The ONLY answer is "We both do. I make $30, and you have a new pair of shoes. (or vice versa. order is unimportant)". Adding anything to it tells me more about the person answering the question than they really wanted to tell me. By adding to the answer, that person has just told me what concerns them the most about a free market exchange.<br /><br />Ponder that for a while.<br /><br /><blockquote>What statistic will give you the best idea of a team's chances of winning a particular game?</blockquote><br /><br />As <a href="http://badexample.mu.nu/archives/188911.php">Harvey</a> correctly pointed out, the ending score is 100% accurate for determining the chances of team winning a game.<br /><br />During the game, the score is also the most accurate method, since the team with the highest score at any point has the best chance of winning.<br /><br />Before the game? No statistic is useful, truthfully. Every statistic that is used before the game is merely a representation of how the team has performed in the past...and as any good stock broker will tell you, past performance isn't the best judge of future activity. It is *A* judge, but, not the *best* judge.<br /><br />Only while the game is being played can you assess a team's chances of winning. And the score is the ONLY statistic that will let you do that.<br /><br /><blockquote>What can you do to get any problem to go away?</blockquote><br /><br />Ignore it long enough.<br /><br />Not all problems have solutions. It's high time we got that idea into our heads. Everyone has this problem of only 24 hours in a day. No solution to that problem. (actually...there are some people for whom the problem is that there are too MANY hours in the day...I've been there) Everyone has the problem of death. Everyone has the problem of needing food, air, and water. None of these problems have solutions. So, get the idea out of your head that the solution to every problem is to fix it. You can't.<br /><br />Now, the problem with this answer is that ignoring a problem long enough WILL make the problem go away, but...usually, by causing greater problems. So, ignoring the problem long enough isn't actually a good way of solving the problem.<br /><br />There's got to be a middle ground, right? Yes, there is.<br /><br />Every time you are faced with a problem, ask yourself a couple of questions:<br /><br />1. Is there a solution to the problem?<br />2. If I ignore the problem, will a greater problem arise?<br /><br />By asking yourself those two simple questions, you'll put the problem into a perspective that you can now deal with. Sure, there ARE problems that don't have solutions, and WILL cause greater problems if ignored. Those, you just have to deal with. Sorry. Anyone who told you life was fair was lying to you.<br /><br /><blockquote>How many hours of classes must you require someone to take before they are educated?</blockquote><br /><br />Again, <a href="http://badexample.mu.nu/archives/188911.php">Harvey</a> hit this one on the head.<br /><br />Attending a class is no garauntee you will become educated. Some of the least educated, ignorant people I have ever met have more degrees than a thermometer, and I know quite a few educated people who have spent the minimum time possible for a high school graduate in classes (and, in my case, LESS than the minimum time possible...attendance wasn't my strong point) and be very educated.<br /><br />The next time you hear about someone being mandated to attend a "sensitivity class", or other such nonsense class, feel sorry for them. It was forced upon them by an uneducated, well-schooled buffoon.<br /><br /><blockquote>How many competing theories are there of how the universe was created?</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://badexample.mu.nu/archives/188911.php">Harvey</a> *almost* got this one right.<br /><br />He's right, in that it IS a trick question. He's just wrong about WHY it's a trick question.<br /><br />There aren't any competing theories of how the Universe was created. There is only ONE theory. All matter (hence, the Universe) didn't exist at some point, and then, matter existed, therefore, being created. That's the 'how'.<br /><br />The only competing theories are in WHO created it. In that field, there are only two theories that have any relevance: Judeo-Christo-Muslim Creation (I lump Islam in with Judeo-Christianity ONLY because they have the same Creation theory), and self-creation (matter created itself). No other theories are relevant, nor have any significant following.<br /><br />Read up on logic sometime, and tell me which theory of WHO created the Universe makes sense. It will be illustrative.<br /><br />(There are also disputes between the two WHO theories on WHEN, WHY, and WHERE. Too long a discussion to go into here.)<br /><br />Harvey then dodges the correct answer by saying "science isn't about religion". Hm. That's funny. The entire set of physics 'laws', as we know them, were created by an Anglican theologian, and an Orthodox Jew, both of whom claimed that they were only interested in figuring out the rules that God used to create the Universe.<br /><br />The only significant advance to the science of physics by an atheist were the 'Laws' of Logic that Aristotle used to prove that the Greek gods were insufficient to account for the Universe, so, another, greater god must exist. For that, he was branded an atheist.<br /><br />Oh...before I forget...atheism is a religion, too. Look up the definition of "religion" sometime. Atheism meets several of the definitions. <br /><br />Tomorrow, when I'm not so tired, I'll explain why these type of questions have been tugging at my skull for the past few days. (I thought of at least three more, just today.) It's actually relevant to all of your lives. I'll give you a hint: it's a concept so simple, most people don't understand it.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/08/answers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-115439081526610062Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:06:00 +00002006-07-31T17:53:09.370-07:00Quizzes and such.There are times when you need to quickly determine another person's grasp of a discussion topic, so you can figure out how indepth to get with the discussion. For most people, this is really difficult. So, to aid some of you, I have some quick, one question quizzes to determine a person's knowledge base on a particular subject. If a person can't answer the quiz correctly, they really have no business discussing the topic at hand. So, without further ado, here are the three I can think of:<br /><br />Politics<br /><br />If you can only do ONE of these, which is more important? Caring, or doing?<br /><br />Economics<br /><br />I buy a pair of shoes for $30. I mark the shoes up to $60, and you buy them. Who profits from this deal?<br /><br />Sports<br /><br />What statistic will give you the best idea of a team's chances of winning a particular game?<br /><br />With all three of these quizzes, you can quickly determine whether or not the person you are talking to has ANY clue of the topic at hand. If the correct answer isn't given, then, walk away, and find someone who knows what they're talking about.<br /><br />I'll give the answers to those questions in the comments in a couple of days. Feel free to put your answers in the comments, too, plus, any ohter one question quizzes you can think of.<br /><br />Have fun! (I'm almost willing to bet that most of you won't get all three correct, and about half of you will only get one correct. But, that's just a guess on my part.)<br /><br />Okay, thought of another one.<br /><br />Problem Solving<br /><br />What can you do to get any problem to go away?http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/07/quizzes-and-such.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-115377600271129560Mon, 24 Jul 2006 21:19:00 +00002006-07-24T16:22:32.483-07:00How Legends are made.Okay, so, an American, Floyd Landis, won the Tour de fwance again. Whoopee. Big deal.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong. I am ecstatic that an American won the Tour de fwance, but, after delving into the race a little bit, Floyd winning the Tour isn't nearly as impressive as HOW he won the race. I've read several commentaries, from analysts, cyclists, and competitors, and all of them have said that Floyd's win was the stuff of legends, a finish that will be talked about in cycling for decades. Cyclists will tell their children "I was there when Floyd won the Tour." Team owners will tell their young upstarts "You didn't see Floyd win the Tour. Shut up and listen." Fans will say, decades later "That was a good race by X, but, it has nothing on Floyd's win at the Tour".<br /><br />Am I exaggerating? I don't think so. Way back when, when I was a lot younger and in a lot better shape, I used to cycle as training for my real passion, running. So, I know a little bit about how bicycle races are run and won. So, now, I'm going to try to tell you why Floyd Landis' win at the 2006 Tour de fwance is the stuff of legends. I'll be guessing about some of the things, and some of the details won't be correct, but...I assure you, the nature and spirit of his victory is what I'm after, and what I'm trying to convey, not the petty details.<br /><br />This year's Tour was a wide open mess from the get-go. Lance Armstrong, who had owned the Tour for the past 7 years, was now retired. Several of the other favorites (past winners and perenial 2nd- and 3rd- placers) had been disqualified for various reasons. (2 for connection to a blood doping clinic, and another for not having enough members on the team) I *think a 5th favorite was out due to injury or retirement...which meant, at the start of the Tour, all 5 of the top 5 finishers from 2005 weren't competing this year. (that, I know for sure) So, the talking heads turned to trying to figure out who would win this year's Tour, with all of the favorites out.<br /><br />America's best hope was George Hincapie, the only rider to race with US Postal/Team Discovery each year that Lance Armstrong won. Now that Lance was gone, it was now George's team, and the team would now labor to get George into the Yellow Jersey, instead of Lance. And Lance had won the previous 7 Tours by having an incredible team, with incredible support, and riders (like George) who were willing to sacrifice THEIR chances for the Yellow, so that Lance could get it.<br /><br />Floyd Landis, on the other hand, would have been THE favorite to win...if he had stayed with Team Discovery (a couple of years ago, US Postal withdrew its sponsorship of the team, and The Discovery Channel stepped in..hence, the name change). But, Floyd clashed with Lance Armstrong repeatedly (actually...a very common occurence. There's a reason why only ONE rider stayed with Lance all 7 years), so, he left for other pastures...more specifically, to Team Phonak. Team Phonak seemed to offer everything Floyd needed in a team, except one thing...an actual competitive team. Phonak was good enough to qualify for the Tour, and was good enough to finish it. But, they weren't the best riders, and not even close to the quality of rider that Team Discovery had. So, Floyd was, at best, a long shot to win, if he could find a way to overcome the obstacle his team presented.<br /><br />Now, most people don't realize that the Tour de fwance (and most Tours, for that matter) is actually a team event, not an individual event. You can't even sign up for the Tour with a 6 person team. No Lone Rangering allowed. So, Floyd was going to have to win the Tour in spite of his team, not because of it.<br /><br />Early on in the Tour, George Hincapie had what can only be charitably described as "a melt down". He pooped out. He couldn't hold the Yellow Jersey. He got tired. As a result, he fell back in the standing several minutes, and there wasn't any real way he could make that time up. So, America's hopes really rested on Floyd Landis of the "other weak teams are calling them weak" Team Phonak.<br /><br />For the first 10 or so stages, Floyd was in striking distance. He and his team were positioning themselves to be in striking distance of the Yellow Jersey at the end stages. Around Stage 12, Floyd got to put on the Yellow Jersey.<br /><br />Stage 13, Phonak decided to gamble, and give up the Jersey to another rider. Why? To save strength. The Tour is almost a pure endurance event, not really a speed event. It's not about who goes the fastest (sprinters rarely win the Tour), but, more about who can go the fastest the longest. So, sometimes, a team will decide to NOT win a stage, so they can win later stages. That's what Phonak decided to do.<br /><br />I'll take a quick moment here to describe how team-mates can be used...and abused...in the Tour. Since many time bonuses are available for how well the team does, sometimes, the leader of the team will have another team member go balls-out, to get the other teams to try and catch him. This is sacrificing one team member to get the rest of the team to win. The team member who goes balls-out on Monday won't be worth a shit on Tuesday. Too tired. But, in order to tire the other teams out, you sacrifice the one teammate to get the rest of the team ahead. Now, other teams know you're going to do that, so, they have to decide if they're going to let you get away with that. Usually, they don't, so, they'll sacrifice one of THEIR teammates to tire your teammate out. (Most people don't know that drafting actually SLOWS the lead person down, while speeding the trailing person UP) Now, you know they're going to do that, so, you send another teammate up to "protect" your first teammate, by switching with your sacrificed teammate on and off, to give him a rest. Confusing? Not really, once you start doing it. But, the Tour is a LOT more complicated than just who can ride the fastest. You should also start to see where having other good riders on your team is essential. If none of your teammates are a threat for a true breakaway, why would anyone bother trying to impede them?<br /><br />So, for Stage 13, Phonak yeilded the Yellow Jersey up, with the plan of taking it back on a later stage, and holding on to it until the ride into Paris. Floyd got criticized for this, by other competitors, many of whom were his friends. You see, it's bad form to not protect the Yellow Jersey. It's a sign of disrespect FOR THE JERSEY to take it one day, and plan on giving it up the next. It's like winning the Super Bowl, and announcing you have no plans to even TRY to go to the playoffs the next year. You won it, you protect it. But, everyone understood what Floyd was doing, they just weren't sure they were going to help him do it. (other teams, out of contention, have been known to choose sides in races between the top 2 teams. Just like any other large mob of people)<br /><br />Floyd took back the Yellow in Stage 14, and now, his plan was to hold onto it for the rest of the Tour.<br /><br />There was one small problem, though. Stage 16. A mountain stage.<br /><br />Floyd Landis had a meltdown. He tired out. He went from being almost 60 seconds ahead, to being 8 minutes, 8 seconds BEHIND. He went from 1st to 11th, in one stage. His hopes of the Yellow Jersey were, barring a miracle, gone. He needed AT LEAST five of the top 10 racers to crash, or drop out, or SOMETHING! He needed to gain time he couldn't gain, and he needed riders to drop out who had entire teams protecting them. 8 minutes with 5 stages to go was impossible. Couldn't be done. George Hincapie had his dreams of Yellow in Paris dashed when he fell 8 minutes behind with 10 stages left! It takes a miracle to gain 8 minutes over the ENTIRE Tour, much less with 3 stages and the Ride into Paris left. (The final stage is more of a formality than a race. You can't win the Tour on the Ride, but, you can lose it, if you crash. Which is why your team sticks to you like white on rice, to make sure no one crashes into you)<br /><br />Floyd had other plans, though. Sometime during the night, in a strategy session, he and Team Phonak realized they had only one strategy: sheer, brute force. The only hope that Floyd had of regaining the Yellow Jersey was to do an all-out solo breakaway on Stage 17. No teammates to help, and only his body to do the work, the same body that had given out on him the Stage before. No help, no assistance, no tactics. Just. Ride. He had to go fast enough to discourage any other riders from trying to keep up with him, and he had to make sure he kept going. He wasn't going to have anyone to give him a rest by drafting, and he wasn't going to be able to look over his shoulder, because another rider might tell him the pack (the <span style="font-style: italic;">peleton</span> in bicycle-speak) was just behind him, and he had failed.<br /><br />So, the next morning, he woke up early, and rode the 65 mile course by himself, to get a feel for it. (that's normal. ALL the champions do it, or, so I've read from other cyclists) By the time he was finished with his run-through, the rumor was already floating around about his plans. Other competitors, many of them friends of his, tried to talk him out of it. You just CAN'T do that. It's not done! Sure, he may have been able to get back into striking distance of the Yellow, but, he was exhausted already from Stage 16, and he would still have 3 more stages to go! Solo breakaways don't work for winning the Tour. They just don't.<br /><br />Floyd wouldn't listen, though. He told his freiends to drink a Coke, because he was going to breakaway from the pack as early as possilbe, and they were free to try and keep up with him, if they wanted to.<br /><br />You don't run a 65 mile race ahead of the pack that late in the Tour. You just CAN'T! You're exhausted already, and you'll tire yourself out too much for the remaining stages to win.<br /><br />You.<br />Don't.<br />Do.<br />It.<br /><br />Floyd did, though. At the end of Stage 17, Floyd Landis was 30 seconds behind the leader. 7 minutes, and 30 some seconds gained. In one stage. After having one of the worst late-stage collapses in Tour history.<br /><br />He.<br />Gained.<br />SEVEN!<br />Minutes.<br />In.<br />One.<br />Stage.<br /><br />Oh, sure, Greg LeMond overcame just as big of a deficit during one of his victories, but, Greg used his team to do it. Greg used tactics, and strategy, and sacrificed a team-mate or two to do it.<br /><br />Floyd did it "with the pedal". No tactics, no strategy. Just sheer, brute force, and pure heart.<br /><br />Some of you may have heard that Floyd had a bad hip, or an arthritic hip. No, it was worse than that. He has avascular necrosis in his hip, a condition that caused the cartilage in his hip to detoriorate, because of lack of blood flow. It was caused by a training crash he had THREE YEARS AGO! His hip has been bone-on-bone for quite some time, now. WALKING is painful for him! SITTING is painful for him. And yet, on one day in fwance, he ignored the pain to launch one of the greatest comebacks in Tour history.<br /><br />Stage 19, Floyd outsprinted the wearer of the Yellow, Oscar Pereiro, to take a 30 second lead for the Ride into Paris. When Floyd stepped off the podium with the Yellow Jersey, one of the first people to wrap him in a congratulatory hug was...Oscar Pereiro.<br /><br />You see, Floyd was the rider EVERYONE wanted to win, if it wasn't themselves or a teammate. His competition was mostly comprised of his friends. I've been reading an online journal of one of the riders at the Tour (who was knocked out by a race-ending injury in Stage 7), and he said Floyd was the rider he wanted to win, if his team didn't, because Floyd was everyone's friend. The other racers were pulling for Floyd to pull it out. They WANTED him to win. They're HAPPY he won. The same cannot be said of the two previous American winners of the Tour, who were either hotheaded blowhards (Greg LeMond), or, calculating pricks (Lance Armstrong). Oh, the other riders respected Greg and Lance, they just didn't LIKE them. The other riders like and respect Floyd, and are just as happy as he is about his victory.<br /><br />Stage 20, the Ride into Paris, Floyd and Team Phonak showed why Floyd is so well liked. Traditionally, the winner of the Tour and his team lead the <i>peleton</i> past the grandstands. Not this time. Team Phonak let Viatcheslav Ekimov, of Lance Armstrong's Team Discovery, lead the <i>peleton</i>, because this was his 15th Tour de fwance...one shy of the record. THAT is why Floyd is liked so much...he's human, and he is honest, and he is a friend.<br /><br />I don't pay as much attention to bicycle racing as I would like to, and I'm sure most of you pay even less attention than that. But, frankly, this is one race I wish I had paid more attention to. I would like to be able to tell my children and grandchildren some day "I watched when Floyd Landis won the Tour de fwance. A ride like that will probably never be seen again." Sadly, I'll only be able to tell them I read about it, after the fact.<br /><br />For more (accurate) information on this Tour, you can go <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2006/columns/story?id=2527741&lpos=spotlight&amp;lid=tab4pos2">here</a>, or <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2006/news/story?id=2527116">here</a>, or <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2006/columns/story?id=2527145">here</a>. Go ahead, poke around over there. This victory by Floyd was MUCH more than just another American victory at the Tour de fwance. It was a victory for the ages, by a man I can finally say I am happy he won.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-legends-are-made.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-115249390678374157Mon, 10 Jul 2006 01:09:00 +00002006-07-09T18:11:46.793-07:00If it's not one thing, it's another....Okay, I'm mostly out of my funk. So, in theory, I'll be starting to write again, and soon.<br /><br />The biggest problem, though, is that, now, I have too MUCH stuff to write about, and my poor little brain went into "reset" mode, when I thought about where to start.<br /><br />So, once I get my brain a bit more organized, I'll start flinging some "wisdom" up here, for y'all to mock.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/07/if-its-not-one-thing-its-another.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-115053496880300552Sat, 17 Jun 2006 09:02:00 +00002006-06-17T02:26:22.456-07:00On GreatnessAs I sit here, listening to some music to try to pull myself out of this funk I'm in, I am struck by a sudden thought about "greatness".<br /><br />Almost since time began, there have been arguments about what makes "greatness". Is it inborn? Is it a lifelong pursuit? Is it just luck? Or, is it a combination of all of those?<br /><br />As I listen to my rather ecclectic collection of music, I have come to the conclusion that it is all four of those, plus, a healthy dose of "flash in the pan". I'm not trying to be vague, or, even wishy-washy. I'm just telling y'all what I have noticed about "greatness".<br /><br />F'rinstance, Gordon Lightfoot's song, <i>The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald</i> is an absolutely great song. Argue with me on that. I dare you. Please. Pretty please? No? Fine. We're in agreement. It's a great song. Now, what is amazing about it is that it isn't even his best song. BUT, it is his greatest. It was written and produced at the right time, in the right way, by the right person. A person whose body of work increased the likelihood that he would create a song of the caliber of <i>The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald</i>. So, Gordon wrote and sang a great song with a combination of lifelong pursuit, luck, and a bit of timing.<br /><br />Another example is <i>American Pie</i>, by Don McLean. Quick, name me two other songs he's written or performed. Go ahead. I'll give you some time to even Google it. But, when you come back with three or four other song titles that he's written or performed, you and I will both know that you had to hunt them down, which is kind of my point. <i>American Pie</i> is a great song. It's one of the greatest "rock" songs ever written (I disagree with just about every modern music writer about whether <i>Thunder Road</i>, by Bruce Springsteen, really is the greatest rock song ever done). Now, Don wrote and performed a great song. BUT, he's done nothing before or since. Not one thing that would have ever led one to believe he could even produce a song at half the quality of <i>American Pie</i>. So, Don became great by "right place, right time", and a bit of luck, and not much more.<br /><br />Jim Croce, on the other hand, wrote many great songs, in only a few years. If he hadn't died, tragically, too early, he would probably written at least five more songs that would still be ear-worms for people who currently don't even know who he is. So, Jim became great through a total body of work, without much luck.<br /><br />What's the point of this rambling? I'm not really sure. But, I think it has something to do with one common feature of all three writers. They were all willing to take the chance to fail, in order to be in the position to be great. Their greatness is, frankly, the result of them all willing to fail. Greatness is sometimes acheived, sometimes thrust upon someone, and sometimes, just lands on someone lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. But, what I have noticed is that, overwhelmingly, the great people in history spent unbelievable time and effort getting to where greatness could be thrust upon them.<br /><br />I'll spare y'all the historical examples of this that I can think of, just off the top of my head. I've rambled enough as it is.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/06/on-greatness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-114938209054863474Sun, 04 Jun 2006 00:28:00 +00002006-06-03T17:48:15.210-07:00Happy Homecoming AnniversaryWow.<br /><br />Hard to believe it's been exactly one year since I escaped the Frozen Tundra of Wisconsin.<br /><br />While I'm still hurting from some personal issues, the reasons I moved to Texas are still valid. I pay NO state income taxes, less in taxes overall, and the weather down here is...awesome. I tell ya, if the weather doesn't change from partly cloudy and warm soon, I'm outta here...in about 60 years. Seriously. In the past 365 days or so, I *think* about 30 of them have been something other than partly cloudy and warm. I only check the weather report to see if it's going to rain or not. The weather is that predictable.<br /><br />In addition, the people of Texas are even nicer after a year than they were during my two pre-Cheesehead Invasion visits. I've had quite a few people actual WELCOME me to Texas, once they found out I wasn't from here. Waitresses smile and talk to you, people behind the counter in stores expect you to chat with them, and most people go through their day with smiles on their faces. Yeah, there are the jerks, but, they are more noticeable due to how much they stand out from the rest of the crowd. <br /><br />Traffic is what you'd expect from a metropolis of around 1.5 million people, but, by and large, the drivers are MUCH smarter and nicer than the morons on the road in my previous hometown. This is going to sound racist, but...except for the Mexicans. When you see someone driving down the middle of the road like they're the only vehicle on the road, or driving with the centerline right down the middle of the car, or driving 30 MPH BELOW the speed limit in the middle lane of the Interstate (I only care about the right and middle lanes. When I'm in my work truck, I can't use the left lane. A law I actually like...), or slowing down to (seriously. no joke) 1 MPH to make a right OR left hand turn, or to go over a speed bump, I immediately start looking for the Mexican flag on the vehicle, which I always find. <br /><br />Speaking of Mexicans, due to Austinistan's idiotic "immigrant" policies, illegal immigrants are as common as dirt down here. Where I work, there are about 36 or so of us, and 20 of us are Mexicans...and at least 10 of them are illegal. Because of that, manual labor jobs (frankly, the only jobs I am qualified for, and, truthfully, the only ones I enjoy) have artificially depressed wages. I have found out recently that I am one of the 5 or 6 highest paid people at my job, and I make about 2/3rds of what I did, doing the same job in Wisconsin. The "white collar" jobs down here pay unbelievably well. I know of an overglorified electrician who makes over $70,000 a year, and he isn't even that good at his job. But, because my overall tax burden is MUCH lower than in Wisconsin (no state income tax, and 8.25% sales tax, versus 8% state income tax and 5.5% sales tax...and, while I don't have enough knowledge of the property taxes to say anything for certain, home prices are unbelievably lower down here than in Wisconsin, which means, even if the mil rate is higher, the actual taxes are lower for property down here), I have just only slightly less discretionary income than I did at my MUCH higher paying job in Wisconsin.<br /><br />At some time in the future (not any time soon), I may move from the Austin area, but...for now, I'm here until I have a reason not to be. Now, all I have to do is figure out how to get all my friends from Wisconsin to move down here, so I can have almost everything I want...http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/06/happy-homecoming-anniversary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-114693172843167204Sat, 06 May 2006 16:02:00 +00002006-05-06T09:08:48.443-07:00Making the de facto officialMy soul and spirit just got crushed. Near utterly. It had been building up for the past year, and, today, the final push was completed. <br /><br />And, now, I have to come clean a bit. The REAL reason I haven't been posting a lot is simply because I had nothing left. Just to survive the past year, I've had to shut down one emotion after another. It's really hard to do something that requires emotion and passion when you don't have any left. Today, I turned off that last switch: the one that controls the ability to feel anything at all.<br /><br />At some point, I may be able to get my ability to feel back. I don't know. Every time I have to rebuild, it gets harder. <br /><br />So, for now, I'm taking a hiatus. I don't know for how long, or if I'll ever start up again. This page will still be up, because, frankly, I use it to go to my daily reads. I'll still visit a lot of y'all's sites, but, I probably won't comment. <br /><br />(For those of you who think you know what I'm talking about: You're right.)http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/05/making-de-facto-official.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-114575011327669215Sat, 22 Apr 2006 23:51:00 +00002006-04-22T16:55:13.290-07:00On Meaningless Arbitrary NumbersJust passed an arbitrary number in my quest to get debt free.<br /><br />Sometime in the past two weeks, I dropped above -$10,000 in net worth. Considering that I was below -$21,000 in September, I'd say I'm making some progress.<br /><br />Next month, I should be able to drop above -$10,000 in total debt.<br /><br />Hey, they're completely arbitrary numbers, and they probably only mean something to me. But, it's progress. I'll take progress.<br /><br />Even if I'm still only halfway there.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/04/on-meaningless-arbitrary-numbers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-114426944963819274Wed, 05 Apr 2006 20:37:00 +00002006-04-05T14:05:59.650-07:00I hate getting tagged...Okay, I didn't really get tagged, but, close enough. Beth, over at <a href="http://yeahrightwhatever.blogspot.com/">Yeah, Right, Whatever</a>, got a stupid "Four Things About Me" questionaire, and quasi-tagged me with it. So, here goes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Four Jobs I've Had In My Life</span>: (Only four?! Wow. Hard to pick which four to list...)<br /><ol> <li>Garbage man</li> <li>Vacuum salesman</li> <li>Telemarketer</li> <li>Advertising saleman (like Herb Tarlec, only better dressed)</li> </ol> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Movies I Could Watch Over And Over Again</span>: (and have)<br /><ol> <li>Aliens</li> <li>Jaws</li> <li>Saving Private Ryan</li> <li>Lord of the Rings trilogy</li> </ol> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Four Places I Have Lived</span>:<br /><ol> <li>Madison, WI</li> <li>Panama</li> <li>Roswell, GA</li> <li>Round Rock, TX</li> </ol> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Four TV Shows I Love To Watch</span>: (hard for me to do, since I don't even own a TV, but, I'll list the ones I used to like watching)<br /><ol> <li>CSI</li> <li>Hogan's Heroes</li> <li>MASH</li> <li>Hawaii Five-O</li> </ol> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Four Places I Have Been On Vacation</span>:<br /><ol> <li>Wisconsin Dells, WI</li> <li>Mt Mitchell, TN<br /></li> <li>Destin, FL</li> <li>Dallas, TX</li> </ol> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Four Websites I Visit Daily</span>:<br /><ol> <li><a href="http://www.naebunny.net/%7Emommylemur/">Original Musings</a></li> <li><a href="http://yeahrightwhatever.blogspot.com/">Yeah, Right, Whatever</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.badexample.mu.nu/">Bad Example</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.nicedoggie.net/2006/">Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler</a></li> </ol> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Four Of My Favorite Foods:</span><br /><ol> <li>Spaghetti</li> <li>Hamburgers</li> <li>General Tso's Chicken</li> <li>Ham sandwiches</li> </ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:</span> (you should be able to notice a pattern...)<br /><ol> <li>Talking with friends</li> <li>Having dinner with friends</li> <li>Watching a game with friends</li> <li>Playing a game with friends</li> </ol><span style="font-weight: bold;">Four People I'm Tagging With This</span>: (yet again, a pattern should be noticed...)<br /><ol> <li><a href="http://www.badexample.mu.nu/">Harvey </a>of Bad Example</li> <li><a href="http://www.badexample.mu.nu/">Harvey</a> that I used to work with</li> <li><a href="http://www.badexample.mu.nu/">Harvey</a> that I used to drink beer with</li> <li><a href="http://www.badexample.mu.nu/">Harvey</a> that I used to drink scotch and smoke good cigars with</li> </ol>http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/04/i-hate-getting-tagged.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-114153235789429103Sun, 05 Mar 2006 04:15:00 +00002006-03-04T20:19:17.906-08:00Some people will use any excuse........to not blog.<br /><br />It seems that Delftsman, over at <a href="http://delftsman.mu.nu/">Emigre With A Digital Cluebat</a>, has come up with a better excuse than mine for not blogging.<br /><br />His lame-ass excuse is "congestive heart failure", "cancer tests", "pnuemonia", and "cardiac intensive care unit".<br /><br />Send some prayers Upstairs for him, his wife, and their daughter.<br /><br />And then, go <a href="http://delftsman.mu.nu/archives/161694.php">over there</a> and leave a "get well" comment.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/03/some-people-will-use-any-excuse.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-114096716518598078Sun, 26 Feb 2006 15:15:00 +00002006-02-26T07:19:25.196-08:00Memo to Ted ThompsonTed,<br /><br />If you are looking to find the quarterback of the future for the Green Bay Packers (and if you aren't, why not!?), take <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2343005&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos3">a look </a>at this guy.<br /><br />Sure, he played for a Division III school. <br /><br />So did Steve McNair, and Jerry Rice.<br /><br />I'd like to point out that this kid broke all of Steve McNair's Division III records, and set one for ALL of college football.<br /><br />Give him a workout, and then, if he's half as good as his gaudy numbers show, SIGN HIM! Draft him, before another team willing to look at him does.<br /><br />signed, <br /><br />Your faithful fan,<br /><br />The Humble Devildoghttp://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/02/memo-to-ted-thompson.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-114058317525922875Wed, 22 Feb 2006 04:32:00 +00002006-02-21T20:39:35.273-08:00I don't get it....Can someone please explain to me why so many self-proclaimed intelligent people argue from ignorance?<br /><br />Recently, I have had to deal with four people fairly close to me who first proclaimed their ignorance of a subject which I knew a little about, and THEN, told me I was wrong on that subject...immediately after telling me how little they knew about it!<br /><br />I'm not even going to count the multitude of liberals I deal with on blogs, because that's just pushing the issue into the absurd.<br /><br />People, people, people...if you EVER claim ignorance on the subject being conversed over, SHUT UP AND LISTEN to the people who are NOT ignorant. I learned an amazing amount over the years, just by doing that. Of course, asking questions is okay, but, do NOT tell them how wrong they are, or ignore what they are saying, just because you don't like it. YOU. JUST. ADMITTED. YOU. KNOW. NOTHING. ABOUT. IT. Shut. Up.<br /><br />Peek down in the comments of my last post for an example of this. (Sorry, Harv. Still luv ya, and all, but...not knowing the basic rules of logic, but basing your atheism on them?! C'mon. Have some intellectual honesty.)http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/02/i-dont-get-it.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-113971833026673502Sun, 12 Feb 2006 04:09:00 +00002006-02-11T20:25:30.280-08:00Gonna piss off a few friends with this one....Okay, so, I'm crawling around my <a href="http://badcatholicism.blogspot.com/">kidnapped blog-son's</a> site, and I slink through the comments on <a href="http://badcatholicism.blogspot.com/2006/02/judge-shelves-case-over-jesus.html">his post</a> about the Italian atheist's fraud case being booted out of court by the judge. In the comments, Harvey said the Italian gave atheists a bad name. <br /><br />Sorry, Harv. He didn't give atheists a bad name. Atheists' belief in the absurd gave them a bad name. In order to remain an atheist, one must:<br /><br />1) Throw out the rules of logic.<br />2) Ignore any and all scientific evidence.<br />3) Deny the existence of ANY moral absolutes, such as "right" or "wrong", even those absolutes which they agree with.<br />4) Deny the existence of anything even remotely resembling "truth", even in their personal lives.<br />5) Consider themelves to be the apex of evolved life, all evidence to the contrary.<br />6) Be omniscient, omniopresent, and omnipotent. <br /><br />In effect, in order for an atheist to remain an atheist, or even an agnostic, (I'm not going to futz around with the stupid semantics on this one) they have to elevate THEMSELVES to the god-status they have just spent their entire arguement denying the existence of. So, an atheist will ALWAYS argue that they don't exist. They can NOT exist, by their own very arguements. <br /><br />So, please, feel free to do whatever you want to an atheist, because they don't exist in their own minds, so, you can't be punished, EVEN BY THEM, for anything you do to them.<br /><br />That's only barely a joke. It's the logical extension of their arguements, taken to an absurd extreme. But, not THAT extreme. Atheism was the driving belief behind Communism, Fascism, and National Socialism. If those three movements considered atheism a good thing, shouldn't you think long and hard about it? Personally, once I found out Adolf Hitler breathed, I seriously considered not breathing any more.<br /><br />Once you've rationally come to grips with the FACT that there is a god, THEN, we can argue about who that god is. Until then, you are irrational, illogical, and absurd. Sorry.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/02/gonna-piss-off-few-friends-with-this.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-113971686990823228Sun, 12 Feb 2006 03:41:00 +00002006-02-11T20:01:09.923-08:00Three people probably care about this post....Okay, it's been a while since I gave the updates to the three people who haven't heard them from me, personally.<br /><br /><br />Here goes.<br /><br />The hand is still numb, but, I have a little more muscle control than I did before the surgery. Sometimes, for an hour or two, I even have full feeling in my hand. Other than that, not much has changed. <br /><br />Although, I do have to say, the surgeon is just TRYING to get punched in the head. Once again, he sprung another "Oh, I guess I should have mentioned..." on me. It seems that it will take until September before I can even START rehabilitating my hand, due to some little tidbits of information he "forgot" to impart to me. Like, it takes one month per inch of difference between the injury (in this case, my elbow) and the felt effect (my hand) for "full" recovery. After the nerve has healed, THEN I get to try and rebuild my hand. One of these days, he's going to find out my right hand still works just fine, as it smashes into his nose. TELL ME THESE THINGS UP-FRONT! Don't spring them on me, just as I'm feeling optimistic. Jerk. Still a great surgeon, though. Good work, and his post-op crew are fantastic. That's the best looking scar I have, and, when it fades, it may be one of the least visible. So, if you are in Austin, and looking for some orthopedic surgery to be done, I have the name of a good surgeon. He might have a broken nose by that time, though.<br /><br />On the payment front, I have much better news. Last week, I mailed off about $900 in checks, to pay of the second AND the third lowest medical bills. The first lowest bill got paid off about the same time I got the bill, because it was for $17. THAT'S a bill I didn't mind paying right away. The second and the third bills, though, were $650 and $1500, respectively. Paid off. Now, on to the $1900 bill (which has had some payments made on it) and the $5200 bill (which also has some payments made). After those, pay off my loans, and I'll be 100% debt free, 1 1/2 years after I started incurring ridiculous medical bills. For those of you keeping score at home, that will mean I will have paid off approximately $19,000, in 18 months, on a $37,000 gross salary. That includes my second job.<br /><br />Please, tell me again why you can't get out of debt on your salary? I'm doing it on less than the national average salary (for households, not personal), and I'm sending almost half of my income to debts. Please don't try and tell me that debt is just a fact of life these days. That's an excuse, and a shitty one at that. The odds are, you make more than me. BUT, the odds are, you have more "toys" than I do. What I am typing on is the second most valuable "toy" I have, next to my car, and I'd be selling my car, if it wasn't in such bad shape. Look at what you really NEED, and cut out MUCH (not most, not all, maybe not even half) of the non-needs in your life, and you'll get out of debt in a very short amount of time. Trust me. You don't NEED a $25,000 new car, and you most certainly do not NEED a television with cable. Once you admit that you only WANT them, the decision to cut them or not to cut them from your life is a lot easier.<br /><br />I don't have a television OR a cell-phone. Easy decision, once I looked at whether or not I really needed them.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/02/three-people-probably-care-about-this.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-113971564654166774Sun, 12 Feb 2006 03:32:00 +00002006-02-11T19:40:46.553-08:00I hate allergiesOkay, one more excuse...<br /><br />Due to the wonderfully warm weather (for a transplanted CheeseHead...) we've been having, I have had the chance to find out that ragweed is NOT the only common ditchweed I'm allergic to. I'm also allergic to Mountain Cedar, or Juniper Ash, or Ash Juniper, or whatever the heck they call those stupid things. From what I gather, quite a few years ago, some idiot imported <span style="font-style:italic;">bonsai</span> trees to Austin, TX, never considering the environmental impact. Just like kudzu and Japanese Beetles in the US, and rabbits in Australia, later generations have now discovered that those organisisms weren't native to the area, because those organisms have no natural enemies in the area. So, that means those cute little bonsai trees you've always wanted to own grow to quite large sizes, when they are planted in your garden and there are not predators for that tree.<br /><br />So, in the middle of "winter", I get to have constant allergy attacks. Yay for me.<br /><br />I guess I shouldn't complain too much, though. I don't have "Cedar Fever" nearly as bad as some other people I know, and I'd rather have "Cedar Fever" than "Hay Fever". Plus, a little sniffling and run-down feeling is a small price to pay to live in an area where the locals think 40 degrees ABOVE zero is too cold to leave the house without a parka. Seriously. Parkas. In 40 degrees. Hats, gloves and scarves, too.<br /><br />I have directions to the escape hatch from Wisconsin, if any one needs them.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/02/i-hate-allergies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-113892959814179881Fri, 03 Feb 2006 00:58:00 +00002006-02-02T19:25:45.380-08:00Can you fight for custody of a blog-son?I now have a blog-son.<br /><br />Sort of.<br /><br /><a href="http://badcatholicism.blogspot.com/">Deathknyte</a> has taken the plunge, and started blogging. The problem is, he has multiple blog-parents. <a href="http://www.yeahrightwhatever.blogspot.com/">Three</a> of us were there when his blog was birthed, yet, <a href="http://badexample.mu.nu/archives/152651.php">ONE</a> of us has decided to just take custody of our charming baby blog-boy from us.<br /><br />So, who do I contact about making this a dirty, knock-down, drag-out custody battle?<br /><br />I WANT MY BLOG-SON BACK!<br /><br />Anyway, he's a master Fisker, and he knows that "brevity is the soul of wit". He's also not quite as nice as I am to idiots. Which is why I like him.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/02/can-you-fight-for-custody-of-blog-son.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-113833569763886503Fri, 27 Jan 2006 04:14:00 +00002006-01-26T20:21:37.650-08:00Conundrums and questionsOkay, so, I'm thinking about changing my car insurance provider, and I started doing some shopping around.<br /><br />Anyone out there have a good reason why the high risk insurance provider I currently have has rates that are HALF of what the low risk providers are offering? I was "high risk" because I kinda didn't carry auto insurance for quite a bit of time, and that made me high risk. <br /><br />No tickets in the past 3 years, at least, and the only accident I've been in, in the past three years, wasn't my fault, and I couldn't do anything to avoid it, other than not be there.<br /><br />One insurance company, with a stupid reptile as its mascot, won't insure me, because I had the bad luck of being present when a stupid Longhorn student ran into the back of my work truck, and another insurance company, named after a wimpy alternative title for "liberal", wants me to "save" money with them, by paying TWICE what I currently pay, for the exact same coverage. Those are the only two providers I've gotten quotes from, but, they are both providers that supposedly cater to "low risk" drivers.<br /><br />From what I've seen, so far, I'm better off staying with the high risk provider, and remaining a low risk driver.<br /><br />Any thoughts? Please?http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/01/conundrums-and-questions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-113796348213590877Sun, 22 Jan 2006 20:55:00 +00002006-01-22T12:58:02.146-08:00Finally got something out of my brain.After running around southern Wisconsin last weekend, and working this week on a bit of sleep-debt, and THEN, going to a Blog-Meet THIS weekend, I finally had some time and energy to write a decent post.<br /><br />Sorry, I didn't put it here. I put it over at <a href="http://serenitythruhope.blogspot.com/2006/01/one-size-does-not-fit-all.html">Serenity Through Hope Ministries</a>. I might be able to put a decent post up here later today, but, I wouldn't bet on it. I have to go shopping, and then, I have to go to work.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/01/finally-got-something-out-of-my-brain.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-113712668565835687Fri, 13 Jan 2006 04:28:00 +00002006-01-12T20:31:25.670-08:00Excuse time is almost up.I'm almost out of excuses for light posting.<br /><br />The mountains of trash are finally starting to dissapate, THREE WEEKS after Christmas, and my days are getting to a more manageable 10 to 14 hours, instead of the 16 plus they were running.<br /><br />So, after I go to Wisconsin for the weekend, to spend some time with friends and family for a belated Christmas, I'll be able to post a little more often than once a decade.<br /><br />Feel sorry for me. It's going to be in the 40s in Wisconsin this weekend. I'm delicate. I can't handle that kind of bone-chilling weather anymore.<br /><br />*runs and hides*http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/01/excuse-time-is-almost-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-113677694402028665Mon, 09 Jan 2006 03:20:00 +00002006-01-08T19:22:24.033-08:00The.Best.Blonde.Joke.Ever.Delftsman has <a href="http://delftsman.mu.nu/archives/150339.php">the best blonde joke, ever,</a> in the history of the world.<br /><br />Go. Read it. You won't be sorry.http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/01/thebestblondejokeever.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-113674439256190332Sun, 08 Jan 2006 18:17:00 +00002006-01-08T10:19:52.570-08:00By now, I should be used to being right all the time....For those of you who don't think I actually know as much about how people think as I say I do, I give you <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2284708">this</a>.<br /><br />Remember, I don't even know the guy, nor have I ever met him, nor is it likely I ever will.<br /><br />I just know how people think.<br /><br />Please, Steve? Pretty please?http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/01/by-now-i-should-be-used-to-being-right.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729872.post-113625320372529362Tue, 03 Jan 2006 01:38:00 +00002006-01-02T17:53:23.766-08:00On Mixed Football BlessingsSorry I haven't posted too much recently. My work days have been long and exhausting, because I've been picking up mountains (almost literally) of trash. Almost every day has been 50-100% more trash than normal, because of Christmas and New Year's Eve. Good grief, y'all are disgusting slobs around the holidays....<br /><br />Anyway, on to the mixed football blessings.<br /><br />Today, I had two football events that both elated me, and depressed me.<br /><br />The first one is that my Beloved Bucky Badger of the University of Wisconsin won its bowl game today, against the Auburn Tigers. I hadn't given Bucky much chance of winning, because Coach Barry Alvarez hasn't had much success (like....none) against teams from the South Eastern Conference, and Auburn had a MUCH better team than Bucky had faced in previous bowls. (Actually, Bucky had faced only one SEC team previously, three different times: the hated Georgia Bulldogs.) The win elated me, since I had resigned myself to Bucky getting blown off the field by yet another SEC team. <br /><br />The win depressed me, though, because it was Coach Barry Alvarez's last game as head coach of the University of Wisconsin Badgers. He is stepping down as coach to devote his attention to being the athletic director for the UW, full time. While I am glad for his promotion (not really a promotion. He's been the AD for the past year.), I am saddened because Coach Alvarez made it possible for me to be a proud Badger fan. He took over a team that was one of the whipping boys of the Big Ten Conference, and turned Bucky into THE team you had to beat to win the Big Ten. Not a bad legacy to leave. Good luck, Barry. You'll be missed on the sidelines.<br /><br />My other giddy-happy moment was when I found out that "coach" Mike Sherman, of my (almost as) Beloved (as the Badgers) Green Bay Packers was given the freedom to search for employment elsewhere in the NFL. That's right. "Coach" Sherman got fired today. HOORAY!<br /><br />I'm saddened about this ONLY because it means the Indestructible #4, Brett Favre, will probably retire now. Brett has been quite vocal about his unwillingness to learn yet ANOTHER offensive scheme this late in his career, so, he's probably going to call it quits in about a month. Farewell, Brett. Now is as good of a time as any to leave. Leave while it's a choice, not a neccessity. Thank you for the years of making it possible to be a Packer fan again.<br /><br />Of course, Brett just MIGHT want to hold off on that retirement for a month or so....it seems his old quarterback coach, Steve Mariucci, is looking for work right now....<br /><br />Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?http://ajsneurons.blogspot.com/2006/01/on-mixed-football-blessings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AJ)0